Virtual world patent holder Worlds.com filed suit against NCSoft in December, claiming its games, including City of Heroes and Guild Wars, were violating its patent for multiplayer virtual environments. And it won't stop there.

90's virtual world developers Worlds.com has fired the first shot in what could be a game…
Read more Read more

Worlds.com CEO Thom Kidrin says that the company "absolutely" has intentions of going after other big virtual world creators, including Blizzard for World of Warcraft and Linden Labs for Second Life, reports Business Insider. That depends, of course, if Worlds.com is successful with its suit against NCSoft.

Kidrin says that Worlds.com's patent for "System and Method for Enabling Users to Interact in a Virtual Space" dates back to 1997. It's based on the work done on the Steven Spielberg-backed Starbright World, a virtual world service design to "educate, entertain and inspire seriously ill children."

That patent were inherited by Worlds.com.

Don't worry, addicted MMOers. Looks like Kidrin and company are looking for a little cash in the form of licensing fees from Blizzard, et al. Your virtual world of choice won't likely be shuttered. But we'll see.